Here is my radio interview with Susan Knight of Calgary’s up!97.7 FM about Dr. Crocker:

What happens when you have a chance meeting with a beautiful woman in a foreign land but return home without getting her name? Evidently, it means that you ask your boss for four weeks off and go back to find her.

Dr. Sandy Crocker, a dentist from Kelowna, BC, was on vacation in Ireland with his brother over a year ago when he saw a gorgeous redhead in a café. Too shy to get any details of importance, or even give her a compliment to jump-start a conversation, he instead resorted to asking for directions. He has regretted that decision ever since.

After fourteen months of thinking about this mystery woman and second-guessing those few minutes, Dr. Crocker finally decided to quit pining away, and see if he could track her down. He is currently in Ireland, putting notes in the café where they met, advertising in the local newspaper, and enlisting as many news sources as possible to reach out to her.

What drives a person to trek thousands of miles to find someone he only spoke to for moments?

Infatuation.

When we become infatuated with someone, we have a spike of epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin and phenylethylamine (PEA). When this happens, we have more energy (even if we have been up until 4am talking to each other), lower inhibitions (we will try things we always swore we wouldn’t), and a higher-than-usual libido (we struggle to keep our hands off each other). Furthermore, we just can’t get this person out of our head. They consume our thoughts.

Fortunately, infatuation can mature into genuine love. As we discover common values, have shared experiences, and dream together for the future, infatuation can blossom into a solid foundation for life together. Over time, the hormones that give us those feelings of bliss give way to oxytocin, the bonding hormone that weaves richness and stability into our relationship.

I admire Dr. Crocker’s gutsy decision. According to the reports in the media, he seems quite aware that he may never find this woman…or, if he does, she might be happily married. However, he doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life wondering what might have been had he not taken this trip. Bravo, Dr. Crocker. You remind all of us to pay attention to the little moments in life and not let them slip away.